What I Mean When I Say a ‘Typical European City’
What I Mean When I Say a ‘Typical European City’
Europe… their cities… and everything in between.
… it’s no secret that I like Europe.
It’s also no secret that using the word, ‘like’ is the epitome of when people say that’s an understatement.
While some people find European cities indistinguishable, and comment on how ‘sterile’ they can be – I find a comfort in knowing and feeling my place in a new European city becauseof how familiar it’s formula feels to other ones that I’ve been to.
I tend to use the phrase, ‘it’s a typical European city’ when I visit cities that have… well, qualities that I’ve found in the majority of places that I’ve been around Europe.
Here a just a few of them, to further explain what I mean:
1. Excellent & Easy Public Transportation
It’s no secret that Europeans have it down when it comes to public transportation.
At the train station in Luxembourg; May 2019
Not only can you can hop on a train to another country and be in another world in a matter of hours, but the buses, trains, and trams in the cities themselves are usually easy to understand…
Inside Antwerp’s massive train station on the way to Brussels Airport en route to Dublin; June 2019
… and when they’re not, you just ask someone on the train. I’ve never found myself in a place where no one spoke English; I’ve never found myself completely lost.
2. Relatively Clean
People tell me Paris is dirty (perhaps I’m extremely enamored, because I don’t see it), and Rome without a doubt isn’t the tidiest of places – but you can count of most European cities being well kept and groomed.
European cities always seem clean to me… here’s one example, near Temple Bar in Dublin.
The Arch de Triomphe in Paris outside of the metro; January 2018
… in a typical European city, don’t be surprised if the thing you’ve been dreaming about is suddenly right before your eyes when you walk (another thing, this isn’t Washington D.C. – there usually aren’t escalators) out of the metro.
La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona outside of the metro; December 2017
4. Cobblestone Streets
My mom says they’re bad for your feet.
I say that they add to the charm, and more importantly – that they’re good for your soul.
It takes you back to a time before modernization and pavement were imperative.
5. Bread. Bread Everywhere.
My brother’s and I got into an argument a couple of weeks before I left for Europe for 3 weeks this past May.
I made some sort of remark about how much better bread tastes over there… because it’s fresh, lacks preservatives, and usually – is still warm when you grab them from the shelf.
My brother’s both claimed that while it may be fresher, that it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better – as taste is subjective…
… but screw opinions, and trust me when I say that it is better.
You’ll see types of bread you’ve never even seen before when in Europe. In a Coop in Lucerne, Switzerland; July 2018
Or, maybe you like the American fast food – you do you.
However, from my perspective, I’m an American who thinks that our cuisine is crap in comparison to other places in the world.
I mean… unless you really like hot dogs, pie, and burgers.
Okay. Burgers, I couldn’t live without…
… but overly processed white bread, that after traveling so much, I start to question if it’s really even bread, anymore… that, I could live without.
TL; DR: If you’re in Europe, and walk into a grocery store, and see the widest selection of baguettes and rolls you’ve ever seen in your life – then rest assured, you’re in a typical European city.
P.S. – if there’s a place in the States that does make good bread, it’s in San Francisco with their sourdough.
6. Friends & Family Lingering in Restaurants
Perhaps that most vital and vivacious element in any typical European city, is its environment.
In some typical European cities that come to mind, the ones that fit the ‘sterile’ vibe with streets that could easily assimilate and be mistaken for one another: like Madrid, Milan, and many more…
Walking in down a quiet street in Madrid; June 2019
… I always see them socializing in the flesh. Sometimes, they have phones put away at the table. They turn their chairs to face another. They pay close attention to what the other has to say, and it shows in their body language.
They’ll have a drink, or tapas – and I’ll sit there for over an hour, people watching and writing – and they’ll still be there.
So, what do I mean when I say that somewhere was a ‘typical European city’?
Well, any typical European city is functional – and that’s certainly a compulsory element for me.
But not only are these places practical, but they are palpable in the way they make you feel.
When I sit in my neighborhood Starbucks, all I can hear people around me talking about it small talk: the weather, where everyone is going to school, about their jobs…
… in Europe, even though I can’t understand the languages, even though I can’t hear it… I can see it.
The authenticity of the people, and their undeniable presence in the moment…
…that’s the undeniable personality of a typical European city.
If you’re looking to read more about Europe, click here.